Managing Acute Changes in Health Status (Dual Field)

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Identify, prioritise and respond to risk factors that may lead to deterioration in health status.
• Justify nursing responses to acute changes in health status using evidence based interventions
• Discuss the knowledge and skills necessary to undertake a prioritised assessment of people who are experiencing an acute change in health status
• Explain how clinical judgement and decision making skills are important aspects of managing nursing care

Content for ALL Fields:

Clinical judgement & decision making

Responding to mental and emotional distress including agitation, aggression and challenging behaviour

Responding to self-harm and or suicidal ideation

Recognising and responding to acute deterioration in physical health status (e.g. sepsis)

Breaking significant news

Sudden and / or traumatic death

Ethical and legal issues in acute care: DNACPR, DOLS

Managing risks to vulnerable groups with acute health care needs (e.g. Learning Disability)

Human Factors: Safety culture, Debriefing

Medicines Management: Safe medicine use. (e.g. drug interactions / reactions including anaphylaxis; recreational drugs; using technology to improve medicines safety; forms of prescribing including PGD)

ADULT Field Specific Content:

Assessing, recognising and responding to acute and critical physical illness

Respiratory Care and Support: Respiratory failure, NIV, Chest Drain, ABG Interpretation

Referral pathways and escalation of care (e.g. role of EWS; Outreach; communication frameworks)

Managing symptoms and distress in acute care (to include pain, agitation, psychological distress in critical illness, nausea)

Surgical and post-operative care.

Pharmacology related to commonly encountered drugs in acute conditions.

Assessment, interventions and related pathophysiology in relation to acute changes in:

Respiratory function

Cardiovascular function

Shock and Fluid balance disorders

Neurological function (to include acute neurological deterioration,

delirium, epilepsy)

Genito-urinary function (including UTI, AKI)

Endocrine function (e.g. diabetes and DKA)

MENTAL HEALTH Field Specific Content:

Mental health and the law

Care planning

Admission and discharge planning

Admission of a person in acute distress

Managing risk of self-harm and suicide

Managing risk of violence and aggression

Engagement and observation of people at risk

Psychopharmacology

Psychotropic medication in practice

The person experiencing psychosis

The person with a personality disorder

The person with an eating disorder

Managing mental health crisis

Pharmacology of commonly encountered drugs

CHILD Field Specific Content:

Managing neonatal complex and acute care

Managing children’s pre, peri & post operative care

Child and adolescent mental health service provision

Children and young people living with eating disorders

Self harm in children and young people

Managing children’s pain

Management of respiratory collapse in childhood

Management of sepsis and related infection and infectious diseases in childhood

Acute assessment and management: Diabetic ketoacidosis in children

Children’s fluid and fluid management

Acute care settings: managing sudden death

Promote, restore and stabilise health status in children

Pharmacology of commonly encountered drugs

SKILLS to include:

Responding to physiological deterioration

Therapeutic Communication skills

Airway skills and supporting the at risk patient

BLS yr 2 update

ECG

Teaching and learning methods

The module is taught using a variety of learning and teaching approaches which may include:

Lectures

Seminars

Directed study activities

Self-directed Study

Technology enhanced learning

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

Spotting the sick child an educational tool for health care practitioners, to aid in recognition of serious illness in children. Dr Davies F sponsored by Department of Health (2004)CD visual format

Internet Resources

Managing the Deteriorating Patient.

Journal Articles

Douw G, Schoohoven L, Holwerda T, Huisman-de-Waal G, van Zanten ARH, van Acterberg Tand van der Hoeven JG (2015). Nurses’ worry or concern and early recognition of deteriorating patients on general wards in acute care hospitals: a systematic review. Critical Care, 19(1).

Textbooks

Peate I and Dutton H (2012). Acute Nursing Care: Recognising and Responding to Medical Emergencies. Abingdon: Routledge.

Gormley Fleming E and Peate I (2019). Fundamentals of Children's applied Anatomy and Physiology: an essential guide for Nursing and Healthcare Students. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons.

Healy D (2016). Psychiatric Drugs Explained. London: Elsevier.

Thompson M, Hooper C, Laver-Bradbury C, Gale C (2012). Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Theory and Practice. London: Hodder Arnold.

Barber P (2013). Medicine management for nurses. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill Education Open University Press.

Norman I & Ryrie I (2018). The Art and Science of Mental Health Nursing. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Woodrow P (2015). Nursing Acutely Ill Adults. UK: Taylor & Francis.

Tait D, James J, Williams C and Barton D (2015). Acute and Critical Care in Adult Nursing. London: Sage.

Glasper EA, and Richardson J (2010). Textbook of children’s and young people’s nursing. Edinburgh: Elsevier.

Macqueen S Bruce EA and Gibson F (2012). The Great Ormond Street Hospital manual of children’s nursing practices. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

Assessment strategy

This assessment will test your ability to assess a person's care needs, relate signs and symptoms, identify risk of deterioration and articulate a plan of care.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External